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OGRC

Gay Awareness Week Columbus, OH

With permission from:

NEWS--of the Columbus Gay and Lesbian Community

Gay and non-Gay communities in Columbus will be educated and entertained during the Gay Alliance's third annual Gay Awareness Week April 21-27.

Throughout the week, ads will run in various newspapers, an information table will be placed in the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High Street, and displays will also be exhibited in the Ohio Union on the OSU campus.

MONDAY, APRIL 21: Gay Alliance members will distribute information cards at the Statehouse, OSU Oval, and OSU Main Library.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22: All-day Open House, GA office, 8 AM to 9 PM. The Gay Alliance office offers Gay periodicals, Gay books, current political information, a roommate service, referrals, and informal raps with office staff. At 9 PM, the Gay Alliance will meet in Ohio Union Suites D-G to hear Rhonda Rivera of OSU Law School speak on "Our Straight-laced Judges: Gays and the Law." This discussion should prove extremely informative and important to those curious about our legal status in this new decade. A coffee hour will follow the meeting in the same rooms.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23: The Columbus Gay Community will dine together at the Casa di Pasta, at 7:30 PM For more information call 614/422-9212. This will be a nice opportunity to meet other Gay people in a non-disco atmosphere. Reservations should be called in to the G A office before April

19.

THURSDAY, APRIL 24: ATHLETICS! Volleyball games will be played in Larkins Hall from 8 to 11 PM. Non-students will have to pay $1.00, but Larkins Hall, the OSU Physical Education Building, is worth it. Call 614/422-9212 for more information. FRIDAY, APRIL 25: Is GAY BLUE JEANS DAY!!! Supporters of Gay Rights will wear jeans this day.

SATURDAY, APRIL 26: The Gay Community will PICNIC at the COLUMBUS ZOO. We will meet at the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) parking lot, corner of 12th Avenue and Indianola at noon, for the drive to the zoo.

After an afternoon with the animals and an evening in the bars, the Gay Alliance will host a card party-breakfast at the North End Community Center. Entitled "Off the Wall", this event will cost $1.00 at the door and free coffee and doughnuts will be provided along with backgammon, cards and music. The North End Community Center will be open at Midnight for anyone not into bars and will remain open for the bar people and for those looking for breakfast or some warm coffee during a break from "Wall" cruising. The Community Center is located at Northwood Avenue and High Street. (OGRC News Note: Directions from 1-70, exit at Hudson Street. Go west to High Street (approximately four lights). Turn left on High and go about two lights. The Community Center is on the corner of Northwood and High. It's an old school building.] SUNDAY, APRIL 27: Finally, the week will end with worship services at the Metropolitan Community Church, 12th and Indianola, at 2 PM. A pot-luck dinner is planned for after the service. If you have never worshipped with openly Gay brothers and sisters, this will be a great chance.

(Editors Note: Gay Alliance is a organizational member of OGRC.)

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April 1980-Vol. 4, Issue 3

Newsletter

Has Someone Practiced DISCRIMINATION ON YOU?

The chance is always there that discrimination can affect you. Many reasons are involved some of them being age, race. religion, sex, marital status, politics, citizenship, and sexual orientation or sexual preference. Most of these discriminations are against the law in most instances.

Those which affect you directly as a Gay/Lesbian person are sexual orientation or sexual preference. In almost all instances you are not afforded the protection of the law. There either are no laws to protect your rights or there are laws which are against you or which work against your rights.

Ohio

In order to change these situations of discrimination whether they are Gay/Lesbian related or not requires documentation from those people who are discriminated. Law making bodies require a lot of pressure to change these situations and sometimes it can be as simple as supplying them with information.

The kinds of information we are talking about are facts relating to incidents like these: refusal to hire you for a job for which you are qualified, denial of housing, denial of credit for which you qualify, denial of education, denial of protection by the laws or law enforcement. Refusals like these based on your sexual preference or sexual orientation are discriminatory but in most cases are not against the law. If you come forward with information pertaining to this type of discrimination we may be able to change the laws. It would not only do you a service by reporting them but would help anyone else who is in the same position. Sometimes names can be withheld but it is best to be open. Our legislators are people too. They are more impressed with concrete facts. Facts to which they can place a name. But don't be frightened by this. Report those instances even if you must withhold your name. It will show the people we have to deal with that there is a real fear for some of us, that we can't always be open about the discriminations that happen to us.

As an example, Blacks whose skin color says they are black do not have the means to hide their identity. Gays, whose group is widespread and all encompassing of race, age, sex, nationality, etc., can hide or be "closeted". To be Black is to be Black and you can be Black and Gay. To be Gay you do not have to be Black. To be Gay you can be anything there is therefore you can hide quite easily.

And, hiding is what we don't want you or anyone else to have to do. So help us if you can by reporting any cases of discrimination that you know of dealing with the issue of sexual preference or sexual orientation. And remember that even your friends who are straight but respect you in your position as a Gay/Lesbian person can find discrimination hits them if you think it is hard for you think of how hard it might be for them.

Isn't now the time to stop all of this? The longer we wait the harder it will be. Help us now by writing in confidence to the following address:

OGRC

Stop Discrimination Now

P.O. Box 8392 Columbus, OH 43201

We need your help now!

Historical

OGRC